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A God-Sized Vision

Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me? — Jeremiah 32:27

When Prit and I were married in 1981, we embarked upon an adventure that was beyond our wildest dreams. Prit jokes about marrying me, then taking me to a tropical paradise. In some ways, I suppose that is true. In other ways, it’s hard to compare the poorest country in the western hemisphere to a tropical paradise. Unkept roads, trash-filled streets, and poverty on an insane level sees to that. Some of the greatest suffering imaginable to man has taken place on this little island that’s only about the size of Maryland.

I’m glad the Lord is patient with us and gives us small hurdles to cross before he brings out the bigger ones. There was a time in our early marriage when we wondered how we were going to put gas in the vehicle or food on the table. I remember, like the woman of Zarephath, having a little oil and some flour left in our kitchen. We made little “cakes,” ate them, and told no one about our food shortage.

The winter of ’81 was probably one of the coldest on record, yet there we were in our second-hand trailer with the kitchen oven turned on. It was the only way to heat the house since we couldn’t afford to pay the heating bills. We hung quilts between the hallway and den, then sat in the kitchen with the kitchen door open in order to warm ourselves. Finally, we’d turn off the oven and run jump in the bed, snuggling under a pile of quilts.

When we moved to Haiti, there was the challenge of raising enough support to live. It was another leap of faith in believing God to provide for our needs. Our home church and other individuals helped us out and the school where we taught in Port-au-Prince paid us a modest salary. We lived very simply and managed to get by. Then we moved to Cap-Haitien and planted a church.

Suddenly, the gears shifted as we faced the task of footing the bill for things like sound systems, musical equipment, benches, helping the poor, along with an ever-growing list. Our faith suddenly catapulted several notches. As the church grew and we added a school, the stretching continued. Everywhere we turned, there were growing responsibilities and each one required funds. In a country where over 80% of the people are unemployed, we had to rely on the Lord for help. Time and time again, He proved himself faithful.

Today, after 30 years in Haiti, our faith has been stretched over and over. We are now crossing Goliath hurdles of trusting the Lord for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Building churches and schools, buying and maintaining vehicles and generators, feeding over 1,200 children two hot meals a week, renovating buildings, paying salaries on time, and helping put people to work (to name just a few of our responsibilities) keeps us on our knees.

It would take a novel to relate all the trials we’ve faced here in Haiti. Most of our readers are well-acquainted with those difficulties. There is another side to the coin, however. We have also witnessed the power of God and glorious answers to prayer over the years as we have believed for “one more miracle.” Even though there have been times of great scarcity, we’ve also seen times of provision when our cups overflowed. You, our supporters, have been there to help us along the way.

Do you have a God-sized vision? Are you trusting the Lord to accomplish something in your life that only he can do? If you can do it yourself, your vision is too small. And if your vision is too small, you’ll never get to experience the wonder of watching him come through in a miraculous way.

Here are just a few of our God-sized visions:

Raise $150,000 to construct our church building in Petite-Anse

Reach our $10,000 challenge in order for an anonymous supporter to give matching funds

Buy a Toyota double-cab pickup for $35,000

Employ thousands of workers who have no way to provide for their families

Start a never-ending revival in the north of Haiti that continues until the Lord’s return

Leave a lasting legacy for the next generation

Plant churches all over Haiti

What is your God-sized vision? We would love to hear from you concerning your “impossibilities.” We would also love to pray for you so that we can share in your joy when the answer comes!